President Murmu Rejects TN's NEET Exemption Bill: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

President Droupadi Murmu has rejected a Bill to exclude Tamil Nadu from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), Chief Minister MK Stalin said in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday.

The DMK passed the bill seeking a seeking exemption from the NEET twice (2021 and 2022) in the assembly. The bill, which has been pending with the union government since 2022, wants the medical admission based soley on the Class 12 marks, giving power to the state government to decide admission on school marks.

What MK Stalin Said?

In the assembly today, MK Stalin said, "After the implementation of the NEET system, medical dreams have become unreachable for rural students who lack access to coaching. NEET has favoured urban students who can afford coaching classes. After the DMK came to power, a high-level committee led by Justice A. K. Rajan provided recommendations based on public opinion gathered from across Tamil Nadu. Following this, an all-party meeting was held, and a Bill against NEET was passed for the second time in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and sent to the President for assent through the Governor."

He continued, "Despite the Tamil Nadu government providing all necessary clarifications through various ministries, the Union government has now rejected the exemption from NEET," announced Stalin in the Assembly.

Fight Against NEET Continues: Stalin CM

He called the current development as a "dark chapter in federalism". The Tamil Nadu CM accused the Centre of disregarding the will of the Tamil Nadu people. However, he claimed that the fight against national level examinations will continue.

"The Union government may have rejected Tamil Nadu's request, but our fight to abolish the NEET system is far from over. As the next step, we will consult legal experts on the lawful measures we can take to challenge this decision," Stalin stated.

The TN CM claimed that an all-party meeting will be conducted on April 9 to decide the future course of action.

"On behalf of the lakhs of students and parents in Tamil Nadu who aspire to pursue medical education, the state government is committed to taking all necessary legal steps to realise their dreams," CM Stalin added.